Erect perennial, 7-30 cm. Rhizome with short stolons. Stem terete, smooth. Leaves to half of stem length; sheaths 5-25 mm, dark brown, frequently with red-brown flecks, margin of scarious side straight or slightly concave; ligule c. 0.5 mm, arch almost straight; blades 0.4-0.8 mm wide, terete with groove on adaxial side, smooth, apex obtuse. Inflorescence 6-10 mm, a single androgynous spike. Bracts 0. Male part of inflorescence 4-6 mm, with less than 10 flowers; male glumes c. 3.5 mm, caducous, cymbiform, truncate, light-brown. Female part of inflorescence with 4-11 flowers; female glumes 2-2.5 x 1.1-1.5 mm, caducous, widely oblong, apex rounded, margins scarious, brown; utricles 3.9-5 x 0.7-0.9 mm, with a suberous c. 0.5 mm stipe, finally reflexed, long fusiform, terete, smooth, rachilla extends 5 mm through ostiole, beak c. 1.5 mm, cylindrical, ostiole margins scarious. Stigmas 3. Nut 2.1-2.3 x 0.5-0.6 mm, cylindrical, very finely rugulose, greenish brown.

Fl. Per.: June- August.

Lectotype: "In lateribus radicibusque, irrigius montium alpinarum per Lapponiam Enontekensem et Nordlandiam Norwegicam septentrionalem, Wahlenberg" (UPS-THUNB 21875), selected by Moberg and Nilsson (Nord. Journ. Bot. 11: 289, 1991) isolectotype (BM).

Wet meadows, along streams etc; Distribution: Circum-boreal species with gap in Siberia; C. European mts., Caucasus, NW Iran; C Asian mts. from Dzungarskiy Alatau southwards and from C Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir eastwards to Nepal.